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Welcome to Shirley Kennett's
web site
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Shirley Kennett has worn a
number of hats, including those of corporate analyst, programmer,
independent consultant, computer
 systems designer, and pet store employee
(the one who cleans the cages), but her writer's hat is by far the most
comfortable-and
most satisfying-of them all. She has been a mystery fan as
long as she can remember, which may have had something to do with growing up
in a converted turn-of-the-century funeral home. The dog-eared pages on her
copies of The Illustrated Man, Stranger in a Strange Land, the
Lazarus Long novels, the Tales of Alvin Maker, and Dune
make it clear she's also a long-time fan of science fiction.
Shirley has been
involved with computers most of her life. In her consulting career, she
focused on improving the quality of patient care through computerized
clinical applications. Conducting business with clients around the country
from her home office, she was a pioneer of telecommuting before the word was
invented.
She's made the switch to full-time writer but still keeps up with
developments in the computing field.
Starting married
life as a teenager, she has beaten the odds by surpassing the thirty-seven
year mark with her husband. She discovered motherhood not in a
 maternity
ward, but by bringing home an adopted child from Peru, and astounding
herself by falling in love with her son Thomas at first sight, changing her
first diaper, and floating down the Amazon, all on the same trip. He's
been joined by an Ethiopian boy, Timothy. Don't they make a great
pair? (The one in the middle isn't hers.) Truly hers is a global
family.
The PJ Gray series of suspense novels
includes Gray Matter, Fire Cracker, Chameleon, Act
of Betrayal (written as Morgan Avery), and Time of Death.
Each book features Dr. PJ Gray, single mom, psychologist, and pioneer in the
field of forensic computer simulations. Her partner Detective Leo Schultz
takes a more traditional approach to homicide investigation. After a rocky
beginning, the two have developed a bond of mutual respect and a growing
personal involvement. The extensive computer background Kennett brings to
her writing plunges the reader into exciting virtual reality crime
simulations, but the technology never overwhelms the characters, who are
front and center in her books.
Burning Rose is a departure from
the PJ Gray series. It's a stand-alone thriller with high stakes, action,
exotic locations, and unforgettable characters.
I'm writing something new, a paranormal thriller. Dark, sexy,
action-packed, exotic locations, a little humor, and an ancient Sumerian
demon with a bad attitude. What more can you ask from a book?
Shirley Kennett is a graduate of the
Washington University School of Engineering (B.S. degree in Applied
Mathematics and Computer Science) in St. Louis, Missouri. A member of
the International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in
Crime, Missouri Writers Guild, and the American Crime Writers League, she
lives in suburban St. Louis with her husband and sons, and several cats, including the real life version of PJ Gray's cat
Megabite.
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